The present invention relates to a connector and a fixing method of this connector, which in particular are used for a submarine apparatus.
Description of the Related Art
FIG. 1 is a side view showing a basic structure of a submarine apparatus, to which the present invention is applied. As shown in FIG. 1, submarine instrument tail cables 4 are taken out from a submarine instrument 1 and connectors 5 are fixed to the submarine instrument tail cables 4. Optical fibers 6 are taken out from the connectors 5. And as shown in FIG. 2, a coupling end component 15 is fixed to the connector 5. The coupling end component 15 is fitted in a coupling part containing box 41 being watertight construction, as shown in FIG. 3. The optical fiber 6 connects to a submarine optical tail cable 2 in the coupling part containing box 41. The coupling part containing box 41 is covered with polyethylene sheath 81 as shown in FIG. 4. And a completed basic structure of the submarine apparatus is shown in FIG. 5 and consists of the submarine instrument 1, couplings 3 and the submarine optical tail cables 2. As shown in FIG. 5, the couplings 3 are connected to the both sides of the submarine instrument 1 and the submarine optical tail cables 2 are taken out from the couplings 3. In this coupling 3, the connector 5 and other related components are provided.
FIG. 6 is a side view showing a structure of a conventional connector. The conventional connector is a type of connector fixed by a setscrew. FIG. 7 is a perspective view showing the setscrew using for the conventional connector. Referring to FIGS. 6 and 7, the conventional fixing method is explained. As shown in FIG. 6, this conventional connector has a structure in which a ring shaped setscrew 27 is inserted into a connector main body 101. At the case that the connector is fixed to a submarine instrument tail cable 4, a metal pipe 9, into which a core fiber part of the submarine instrument tail cable 4 is to be inserted, is inserted into the connector main body 101 provided the ring shaped setscrew 27, and the metal pipe 9 is jointed at a brazing part 14 to the tip of the connector main body 101.
Generally, a brazing material is heated up to about 800 to 1000xc2x0 C. by using a burner and the brazing is performed. However, at the case of the submarine instrument tail cable covered with polyethylene sheath, which is melted at about 200xc2x0 C., the burner is not used and an electric resistance brazing method or a high frequency brazing method, in which the heating temperature or heating time can be accurately controlled, is applied to heat the brazing material.
FIG. 8 is a diagram showing a conventional brazing structure by using the electric resistance brazing method. As shown in FIG. 8, small electrodes 30 and 31 are made to contact a narrow region being near to the tip part 28, exposed from the ring shaped setscrew 27, of the connector main body 101, and a current is made to flow into the electrodes 30 and 31 and the brazing part is heated. After reaching a designated temperature, a brazing material 29 is given to the border part between the metal pipe 9 and the tip part 28 of the connector main body 101 and the brazing is performed. FIG. 9 is a diagram showing a conventional brazing structure by using the high frequency brazing method. As shown in FIG. 9, a coil 34 is set at the near part for brazing, a high frequency current is flown into the coil 34 and an induced current is generated at the near part of the tip part 28 of the connector main body 101 and the metal pipe 9, and the brazing part is heated. The method giving the brazing material 29 is the same as that of the electric resistance brazing method.
However, even at the case that the electric resistance brazing method or the high frequency brazing method is applied, when the heating time is long, there is a problem that the polyethylene sheath 81 is melted by the heat transmitted through the metal pipe 9. At the conventional brazing by using the electric resistance brazing method, the small electrodes 30 and 31 are made to contact the narrow region being near to the tip part 28 of the connector main body 101, and a current is made to flow into the electrodes 30 and 31 and the brazing part is heated. As a result, it takes long time to heat the brazing part up to the designated temperature, and the polyethylene sheath 81 is made to melt. At the conventional brazing by using the high frequency brazing method, the coil 34 must be set at the outside of the ring shaped setscrew 27, therefore the efficiency to generate the induced current is not high, and the long time heating is required. Consequently, the polyethylene sheath 81 may be made to melt.
It is therefore an object of the present invention to provide a connector and a fixing method thereof, in which a heating time for brazing can be reduced in order to prevent a polyethylene sheath from melting.
According to the present invention, for achieving the objects mentioned above, there is provided a connector, which is used for connecting a tail cable to an instrument, provides a connector main body, which is a cylindrical shape, and in which a penetrating hole is formed in its stretching direction, and a ring shaped setscrew, which is fitted to the outside circumference surface of said connector main body, and said ring shaped setscrew provides a slit, through which a pipe into which said tail cable is inserted can be set, in its stretching direction. And said connector main body provides a collar and at least one groove at its outside circumference surface of said connector main body, and said connector main body can also provides a groove at its end surface.
According to the present invention, there is provided a fixing method of a connector, by which said connector is connected with a tail cable, provides the steps of brazing a pipe in which said tail cable is inserted and the tip part of a connector main body, setting a ring shaped setscrew having slit to said pipe through a slit of said ring shaped setscrew having slit, and fixing said connector main body to a coupling end component by inserting said ring shaped setscrew having slit to an internal thread part of said coupling end component.
According to the present invention, said connector provides said ring shaped setscrew having slit and this slit is in its stretching direction, and said ring shaped setscrew having slit can be set to said pipe through this slit. Therefore, at said brazing process, said tip part of said connector main body and said pipe can be heated without setting said ring shaped setscrew having slit. As a result, electrodes can be made to be large at the electric resistance brazing method, and the diameter of a coil at the high frequency brazing method can be made to be small. Consequently, the heating time can be largely reduced. Therefore, the polyethylene sheath can be prevented from melting, compared with the conventional method.
According to the present invention, without using said ring shaped setscrew having slit, a block having slit or two blocks can be also used. With using said block having slit or said two blocks, the same effect as said ring shaped setscrew having slit has can be achieved.